Northwest Iowa — The pheasant season last year saw hunters take the second-highest number of pheasants in more than ten years — and the numbers are lining up for a repeat. DNR wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz oversees the roadside survey and says one area stood out.
He says southeastern and eastern Iowa saw fewer birds in this year’s survey — while the overall outlook pretty much mirrored 2020.
The results showed three of the nine regions — northwest, north-central, west-central averaged at or more than 30 birds on each route — which hasn’t happened since 2007. Bogenschutz says the spring season is always key in determining how many new birds live into the fall.
Bogenschutz says he’s not too concerned about the recent flooding, as flooding has the most impact in the spring nesting period.
He expects at minimum a repeat of the pheasant harvest from last year.
The pheasant season opens on October 30th and runs through January 10th.
